Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi has appointed Ahmed Al Ali as the new General Manager of Kalimat Group, the innovative Arabic language publishing house she founded and leads as CEO. During a meeting with the Kalimat Group team, Sheikha Bodour shared her vision for the future of Arabic publishing and praised their commitment to enhancing the region’s literary culture. She emphasized the importance of fostering talent and creativity within the organization and expressed confidence in the team’s ability to achieve even greater success.
Building on this, Sheikha Bodour announced the appointment of Ahmed Al Ali, a respected editor, poet, and translator, to the role of General Manager.
Having previously served as Managing Editor of Kalimat’s fiction imprint, Al Ali has been instrumental in bringing some of the world’s leading authors to a wider Arab audience. Through his leadership, contemporary works by James Baldwin, Raymond Carver, Margaret Atwood, and others have reached new readers and enriched the region’s literary landscape.
Commenting on the appointment, Sheikha Bodour said: “Ahmed Al Ali’s deep literary knowledge, creative leadership, and commitment to excellence have been invaluable to Kalimat Group. As General Manager, he will play a vital role in expanding our impact in the Arabic publishing world and beyond. His vision aligns perfectly with our mission to bridge cultures and bring the beauty of Arabic literature to a global stage”.
For his part, Ahmed Al Ali expressed gratitude for the trust placed in him: “It is a privilege to work alongside Sheikha Bodour, a visionary leader whose passion for publishing continues to inspire us all. I look forward to building on the strong foundation she has laid and collaborating with our exceptional team to further Kalimat Group’s mission and influence in the literary world”.
Ahmed Al Ali brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having earned a master’s degree in Publishing from Pace University, New York, and received mentorship from Sonny Mehta at Penguin Random House’s Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. An accomplished author, his works have achieved bestseller status at prominent literary events.